Rocky Road - Chapter 6
Julie flicked through the pages of her history textbook. It seemed like an impossible feat to memorise all this information. Chapters on chapters of random names and dates were floating around in her head. She prayed she could retain everything until she sat her test.
A tap on her shoulder got her attention. Tyra was moving around to the other side of the table.
Julie paused the music playing on her phone and pulled out her earbuds. Studying in the school cafeteria wasn't the most productive, but otherwise, she struggled to find the time between dance, watching her sister and having a social life.
"Is this spot free?" Tyra asked while she slid onto the bench seat opposite Julie, not waiting for a reply.
After the wonderment of her time in the laundry room had worn off, a feeling of dread had formed in the pit of her stomach. This was the moment that had kept her awake last night. How loose had Matt's lips been about her hook-up with Tim over the weekend? If he told Landry, she was sure Tyra would know by now.
Julie moved her books aside, accidentally knocking over her drink bottle in the process. She was trying to keep a calm demeanour as her insides screamed. She wasn't ready to face any of the possible ramifications of her actions.
"Where's Lois, the brown-haired girl?"
Julie relaxed her tight grip on the bench seat beneath her. Tyra would have been shouting out her accusations if she knew anything. "Lois said she was sick, but my guess is she's avoiding our Art class. Her project wasn't finished."
"I wish I'd stayed in bed. Mr. Haigh just sprung a quiz on us and I'd bet money I failed."
"Pop quizzes suck. You have a genius for a boyfriend. How could you fail?"
"We don't spend our time studying."
"Gross!"
Tyra laughed at her discomfort.
"Do you want some help after school?" Julie offered knowing she could use it as an excuse to avoid the football field. She was looking to do a whole lot of avoiding, too nervous to face Matt or Tim.
"I can't today, I've got detention. Rain check?"
"Sure. What did you do... to get a detention?"
Tyra shrugged nonchalantly, answering after Julie raised an eyebrow prying for more information. "I might have pushed a mouthy princess into a desk on the way out of class."
"You might have?" Julie scoffed, shaking her head at the lack of restraint Tyra possessed. "This is why my parents think you're a bad influence."
"Oh please, Mrs. Taylor loves me and all of our little talks in the guidance office."
It was petty, but something about her friend's relationship with her mother bothered her. The way they talked about each other. Tyra's complaints were hollow, she lapped up the attention thrown in her direction.
"Have you seen Beau today?" Tyra asked, pulling Julie from her thoughts.
"Nope." Her clipped reply had Tyra curiously staring.
"You were pretty quiet on the ride home the other night. What happened?"
Julie remembered Beau's hands pawing at her body and internally cringed. He was the type of teenage boy her father loved to warn her about. All he wanted was sex, so he could brag to all of his buddies. "He's... He's just not my kind of guy."
"That mark on your neck had me thinking otherwise?"
Tim's mark. Julie glanced down to hide the smile which tended to appear any time she thought about Tim. She had managed to keep her parents oblivious to the hickeys existence. Clearly, this concealer wasn't any better than the last one she used. "Beau and I have nothing to talk about. I don't want anything to do with him."
"I can tell."
Julie sighed, unsure of how to make Tyra drop the line of conversation. Her friend could be relentless when she wanted answers. Julie began to pick at her lunch, it was hard to talk with a mouth full of food. She kept her eyes averted from Tyra.
"There are plenty more fish in the sea or so I've heard." Tyra broke their silence with an overused cliché. Julie looked across at her friend who wore an apologetic warm smile. "I've been spending too much time with your mother."
"Promise to not set me up again?"
"Deal."
"I might pick a nerd next time since you're enjoying it so much," she sassed, knowing she already had her fish.
Tyra threw a grape at her head in a petulant manner. Thinking quick she opened her mouth wide and caught it. Tyra scowled at her as she obnoxiously chewed on the grape.
Tyra threw another grape and Julie ducked out of the way, giggling to herself. It was fun to get under her skin.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
His vision began to blur as he vacantly stared amid his daydreaming.
"Matt, hello, are you listening?"
"Yeah, I'm listening… you were saying something about… Tyra?" It was his best guess. She was all Landry talked about these days. Landry rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He hardly saw his best friend anymore because he was so preoccupied with her.
"Where's your head at today? Here, I'll show you." Landry held his phone in front of them and started a video of some heavy metal band.
Where's my head at? If only he knew. The image of Julie and Tim intimately interwoven had marred his mind all weekend. At this very moment, he was biting his tongue and trying to ignore the subtle looks Riggins was directing at her across the cafeteria. He was sure Tim would've been at her table if Tyra wasn't there.
Matt chastised himself for still caring enough to keep an eye on her at that party. If only he had left it alone. Now, he had this secret and a whole lot of questions he wasn't sure he wanted answers to.
How close were they?
How long had they been together?
Did anybody else know?
Julie's eyes had gone wide when he opened the laundry door that night. He figured he was the last person she expected to see. Landry nudged him and Matt noticed the video was finished.
"That's what she said!" Tim's voice boomed down the table filled with Dillon Panthers players. He shook with laughter amused by his own asinine joke. What was she thinking hooking up with him? He was a screw-up, everyone in Dillon knew the stories. Tyra had experienced it firsthand.
Matt was the only one with a straight face. "My man, cheer up," Smash said patting him on the back.
He gave a delayed fake laugh at Tim's joke causing several teammates to look in his direction, Tim wore a sour expression as he briefly acknowledged his presence. Tim's reaction had him wondering if his interruption had ruined the mood between the pair at the party.
He took comfort in the fact that they had no classes together. Tim could only see her at lunch, practice or on game nights. With Mr. Taylor back in Dillon, it wouldn't take long for him to put an end to their relationship or whatever it was. He was always watching his daughter like a hawk.
"Fellas," Coach Taylor said nodding towards the players seated at the table. He rested his hand on Jason's shoulder. "We missed you at the game Son. Will we see you this afternoon at practice?"
"Yes, Sir. I'll be there," Jason's voice beamed with sincerity.
"Good, I need someone to help me keep this team in line." He glanced at Tim making it clear who he was referring to. Jason smiled in reply while Tim focused on the empty tray of food in front of him. "How about you come over next weekend for dinner? Tami's making a whole feast."
"That'd be great. I'm sure my folks won't mind." Jason had always been the Coaches favourite. Nobody else on the team had been invited to his house.
"Riggins." Tim's eyes shot up like he was expecting an invite. "I've got a new player for you to work with. Buddy Garrity recruited him and he needs to learn the ropes fast."
"You're picking Riggins?" Smash uttered, low enough to go undetected by Coach.
"Who is he?"
"His name's Santiago. He should be around here somewhere." Coach searched the cafeteria but came up empty-handed. "I want you to take it seriously, we can't afford to lose any games."
"I will."
Tim couldn't be serious for two seconds. That offer was going to bite him in the ass.
"The rest of you, I expect to be on time today. Riggins, Saracen and Williams I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the greatest game known to the history of men."
As Coach walked away, Tim began begging Jason to bail him out at the last minute. What a catch.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After the day's classes were finished, all of the first and second-string players gathered in the locker room. Since returning to Dillon, Coach had been selecting a few players to showcase their knowledge of the game with the rest of the team. Today it was Matts turn, among others.
Smash was the first to do his speech, self-appointed of course. He'd put a lot of effort into it and used the whiteboard to demonstrate various plays. The audience was in the palm of his hand the whole time due to his animated delivery and wit. Everyone except Tim. He vacantly stared at his feet the entire time. Matt couldn't understand why he even came to practice.
"QB, you're up," Landry offered encouragingly beside him.
Matt slowly rose from his seat and apprehensively made his way to the front of the room. Public speaking was not his forte, he'd much rather sit in the audience.
Halfway through his presentation, he spotted Tim staring at a nearby wall with a slight grin on his face. Matt temporarily lost his train of thought, stuttering, as he wondered if Tim was thinking about Julie.
He tried to remember the point he was going to make. Smash gave him an encouraging smile and Matt glanced back in Tim's direction.
Smash grabbed a towel and threw it at Tim's head. "Riggs, get ya head in the game fool!"
Soft chatter spread through the room and all eyes turned on Tim. "It's not my fault Seven's boring." The players hushed and eyeballed Matt, awaiting his rebuttal.
He hadn't been expecting Tim to insult him. The players burst into laughter while Matt stood silent and unmoving. He hoped Coach Taylor would intervene, turning to see him rubbing his forehead in frustration. He had to say something. "Why don't you come up here and share your insights if I'm so boring?"
Tim folded his arms across his chest as he lazily slouched on his chair. "I would, but it's the strangest thing, my dog ate mine. I had it all written down with little pictures drawn too."
He managed to keep a straight face as he said it. He was so full of shit. Coach exhaled loudly and straightened his cap. Matt was sure he was regretting his decision to give Tim a bit of responsibility.
"You don't have a dog, dumb ass!" Smash said.
"Fine, you want the truth? Billy ate it. We didn't have anything else in the fridge, he had to eat the paper to soak up the alcohol."
The team roared with laughter. "Now that I believe. You is some poor ass white folk."
Tim glowered at Smash before he picked up the towel and pegged it at Smash's head.
"Enough!" Coach Taylor yelled as he directed an angry scowl in Tim's direction.
The room went silent under his scrutiny. "You keep going," he said to Matt. "The rest of you are to ignore Riggins and if he knows what's good for him he will start showing some respect." Matt continued his speech and Tim went back to staring at the wall.
When he was finished, the team sluggishly applauded as he walked back to his seat. Tim always got away with everything. He could make a joke and distract everyone. He could smile at a girl and she'd bend to his will. It was really starting to piss him off.
"Thank you, boys, for doing what was asked," Coach announced. "Riggins, I'll see you in my office tomorrow."
"Ooh, that sounds like a date," Smash taunted causing his entourage to burst into laughter.
"Get out of here before I give you all detentions."
The players heeded Coaches threat and headed out onto the field.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Bring it in," Matt bellowed on the field organising a huddle to revise their strategy. Coach Taylor's separation of the players, unfortunately, meant his team included Tim Riggins. When the whole team was present he addressed them. "We are gonna try Red 40 Texas, Blue 22, and Blue 19. Is everyone clear with the plays?"
As the quarterback, he was trying to encourage his players to perform to the best of their ability. The weak link was the fullback, number 33. "We'll go over that last play again so everyone can follow… even the fullback. Listen for Red 44."
"Your voice is putting me to sleep again," Tim muttered under his breath.
"Like I was saying, we will run it until Riggins understands it. He's a little slower than most of us. Probably all that drinking."
Tim condescendingly laughed, amused by Matt's irritation. "The claws are out now."
"Everything's always a joke with you. Some of us are here to practice, win games and go to college. We have a future to look forward to… outside of working at the local gas station." Tim squared his shoulders and narrowed his gaze. Matt was pleased he'd struck a nerve.
"I think being QB has gone to your head. Nobody even knew your name in Dillon last year. You're only playing because Street can't. We all know it." Tim looked around for confirmation from the rest of the team. "You better hope Santiago can't throw a ball."
Matt laughed brushing off Tim's accusations. "Like you're such a talent. You can run into someone. The reason people in Dillon know your name has nothing to do with football."
Tim glared at him while nearby players stood around, keeping a keen eye on them. Tim's hand fashioned a tight fist by his side. He was so reckless he'd probably get himself kicked off the team with no interference from anyone. It wouldn't take long for Julie to see his ugly side and run in the other direction.
"I'm ready Mr. QB. Ready to make the team proud." Tim's voice dripped with sarcasm.
The players got into position on the line of scrimmage, ready to run another play. Matt surveyed the grounds and his center before he yelled the play signal, "Blue 22, Blue 22, HUT!"
The center passed him the ball as he sprinted to the right, across the field. Matt waited for his running back to get into position. He moved his arm up behind his head ready to lob the football.
BOOM.
The cool grass was below him and the cloudy sky above. He climbed to his feet. Tim was moseying towards him. "My bad, Seven."
The sound of Coaches whistle rang out across the field. "Change it up."
Matt and his teammates went back into formation and ran another play. It had the same result, Matt lying flat on his back. Except, this time he caught a glint of glee on Tim's face. He waved over 23, a large second-string player from the opposition, "33 take him down, hard, center left field."
They set play. "Red 44, Red 44, HUT!"
His accomplice mirrored Tim's movements on the field and took him down in a brutal manner. The fullback fell with a loud thud. Matt tried to contain his laughter as Tim took his time to get up off the ground.
Once Tim was on his feet he made a beeline for him, unbuckling his helmet and throwing it on the ground along the way. "You little shit. You got a problem with me? I bet I can guess why," Tim goaded, a ruler's length from his face.
Matt stood his ground, he wasn't going to be intimidated.
"You're a coward," Tim uttered and he started to walk away.
Matt hated being called a coward, that was his father's favourite way to cut him down. He leapt towards Tim pulling him into a headlock. He wouldn't be able to hold him for long. While Tim struggled to break free, he hissed, "You're an asshole! She'll never sleep with you!"
A sharp pain shot up Matt's arm as Tim reefed on it. "Argh!" he gasped letting his grip drop. In his peripheral vision, he could see several players crowding in closer.
Tim stood up tall with a self-assured smile and Matt stared him down. "That ship has sailed," he boasted.
What did that mean? She wouldn't have let him touch her like that. Matt flashed back to the laundry room. He had dated her for months and all they ever did was kiss.
"Poster above her bed, yellow walls…" Tim's grin widened as his words sunk in. He'd been in her bedroom.
Matt lurched forward determined to connect his fist with Tim's face. He swung, time and time again, coming up short as Tim ducked and sidestepped. He wanted him to feel pain. He needed him to feel physical pain.
Matt could faintly hear his teammates trying to calm him down. Several hands gripped his body to restrain him from his adrenaline-fuelled frenzy. He lowered his arms to create a false sense of security before he broke free and lunged at Tim again. His knuckles finally connecting with flesh.
"Ouch," echoed from the surrounding players. The sting emanating from his hand was worth it. He focused for a few seconds to see Coach Taylor standing between Tim and him. Coach was rubbing his chin. Tim was perfectly fine with a hand on Coaches' shoulder.
"Get off me." Tim sheepishly nodded and removed his hand. "What's gotten into you?" Coach demanded.
"I'm... I ah... I didn't want to hit you."
"I know you're not that stupid."
"Tim!" Jason warned from a few metres away, almost there. Tim held up his hands and strolled over to his best friend.
"I haven't touched the kid, he's coming after me." Tim was anything but innocent.
"The pair of you, laps, until I tell you to stop! You're meant to be leading by example. GO!" Coach fumed. Tim's smirk faded in the face of Coach's disapproval.
"I'm sorry," Matt said, his guilt growing, the redder Coaches jaw became.
"GO. NOW."
Matt jogged to the outer ring of the field and started to run laps. Tim was jogging ahead of him while the rest of the team went back to practice. A few cheerleaders smiled and giggled as Tim passed by. There had to be a way to get payback. It wasn't likely he could beat Tim in a fight, he had to outsmart him, which wouldn't be very hard. What did Tim want?
Like fate, Julie Taylor walked up onto the bleachers. All he needed to do was drop a little hint and Julie would be grounded for life. No more Tim. He wouldn't get everything he wanted for once.
At the end of practice, Matt staggered over to the drinks table. He made brief eye contact with Julie in the process. It was the first time since they'd split that they'd acknowledged each other. She waved at him.
He tried to forget the girl he used to love, the girl he'd dated. The blonde who was staring down at him was a different girl. In light of Tim's revelations, he didn't return her wave. He broke their eye contact and finished his drink before he passed out. He could feel his body rejuvenating, returning to normal.
"Hi," her soft voice, the voice he used to long to hear, alerted him to her presence behind him. Matt turned to face her, the light freckles across her nose were what he chose to look at. He didn't have anything nice to say to her. "About Friday night, I wanted to… I've been meaning to-"
"There's nothing to say. Smash said you should be careful with Beau. We're not together anymore, you don't owe me anything."
"Matt, let me explain..."
It occurred to him that Tim could have taken her virginity at the party. She reached out and placed her fingers on his forearm. He shook away her touch, "Don't." He couldn't listen to her explanation. "Are you really going to do this?" A frown crossed her face. "Are you going to date, Tim Riggins?" She cast her eyes downward and chewed on her cheek. Her silence spoke volumes.
Tim was jogging across the field towards them. "I can't believe you lost your virginity to HIM!"
"Wait! What?" She gasped with wide eyes.
"Forget it. You can do whoever you want. It's your life to screw up." Foolishly, the night of the party he'd left his girlfriend behind to go find Julie.
"Tim and I-"
"My girlfriend's waiting for me," Matt growled cutting her off. He planned to distance himself, he wasn't willing to risk his place on the team for her. Over summer he'd struggled as she bonded with the lifeguard and it would be even harder to see her with Tim. Everyone at school would be gossiping about the pair. He turned his back on her and walked over to Lauren.
"My superstar boyfriend!" she cheerily said placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "What did she want?"
"Something about an assignment."
"She's such a goody-toe shoe. Imagine how desperate she is for friends, hassling her ex about homework. I'd die of embarrassment."
"Taylor! Wait up!" Tim's voice boomed behind him once her father was in the locker room. Julie was hurriedly heading for her dad's car. Tim slowed down and watched her retreating figure. It didn't take long for him to direct a glare Matt's way.
Matt shrugged, pecked Lauren on the lips and headed into the locker room. He was looking forward to getting out of this place.